WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 35

“Hello. I’m Ahn Yuyoung from WEEKANIZ.”

“Nice to meet you, Yuyoung-ssi.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

I gave Lee Kyubin a polite smile and a slight bow.

He returned the gesture.

“Yuyoung-nim, do you remember when you auditioned?”

The usual question made its appearance.

‘Do you remember?’

……Obviously I couldn’t say that, so I just smiled calmly and replied.

“……Actually, I’ve gone through several auditions, so I’m not exactly sure what materials the production team prepared for this.”

“I see. You must have worked really hard.”

“Erm…… Yes, that’s right. Haha.”

“Then shall we check it out right away? Yuyoung-nim, will you be ready to perform within three seconds after the video ends?”

“Of course.”

After I gave him a brief response I quickly opened the item menu

[<Replay to Survive> : Instantly master the song you've fully listened to from beginning to end (1-time use for vocals) - 50 points]

I had seen this recommended item earlier which calmed me down a lot.

Alright, time to use it.

A notification confirming the purchase and use of the item flashed briefly before my eyes.

I quickly glanced at Lee Kyubin, but as expected, he didn’t seem to be aware of the status window hovering before me.

Then, an unfamiliar yet familiar voice echoed through the studio.

It was Ahn Yuyoung’s voice.

―Hello, I’m Ahn Yuyoung from Incheon.

―Yes, so you’re auditioning as a vocalist, correct?

―Yes.

The massive screen behind me showed Ahn Yuyoung’s face.

Why did he introduce himself like that? Was that a national singing contest or something?

Ahn Yuyoung from Incheon? That’s quite the shabby self-introduction for an aspiring idol.

Hiding my slight cringing, I forced myself to focus on the video.

Now was the time for my brain to work overtime, since my body surely lacked the required skills.

Fortunately my brain at least had enough processing power left to be useful.

The Ahn Yuyoung in the video looked incredibly stiff and nervous.

At a glance, he looked pretty young, like Seo Haedun had.

What surprised me though was his voice and demeanor, which carried some unexpected sharpness and confidence, albeit less than Seo Haedun’s.

He looked to be around 17 years old.

For someone that age to display that amount of composure was certainly exceptional.

It was a bit different from my assumption that Ahn Yuyoung was really timid, which might have rubbed his members the wrong way.

His clean and unpolished appearance was no different to how I had been when I was young, so I felt a strange sort of relief.

It just went to show that presentation was everything.

If I ever made it back to my original body, I should upgrade my skincare routine. Maybe get a better lotion.

The moment I tried to shake off these trivial thoughts and refocus, something unusual caught my eye.

The background somehow felt strangely familiar.

It was strange to see Ahn Yuyoung looking so young, but the set he was standing in……

―Let’s see, the song is……

…was exactly the same as where Seo Haedun had auditioned moments earlier.

Even the voice of the judge was identical.

A middle-aged man’s voice that was incredibly indifferent and curt.

The young Ahn Yuyoung stood in the very spot where young Seo Haedun had stood, nervously answering.

Did Seo Haedun and Ahn Yuyoung audition on the same day, at the same place?

―Kim Jiwoo’s <Old Memories> is that right?

―Yes, that’s correct.

―It’s a pretty old song. How do you even know this one?

―Yes, I like listening to old songs. My mother used to play it often when I was little. It’s the first song I ever heard in my life.

―Alright. Go ahead.

Ahn Yuyoung’s eyes sparkled brightly…… but the cold judge’s icy tone demanding him to start made that appeal completely meaningless.

I felt second-hand embarrassment.

Fortunately <Old Memories> was a song I vaguely knew.

However, being a track from 1990, it did feel as distant as its title suggested.

Considering Ahn Yuyoung’s age, it seemed quite unusual for him to be aware of a song that predated his birth.

Still, auditions were all about showcasing vocal talent in a short, explosive period of time……

<Old Memories> was a very soft and tranquil ballad.

I couldn’t help but think of Seo Haedun who had been swaying to the rhythm of his chosen song during the audition, wasting precious time.

Could Ahn Yuyoung have a similar style?

Looks like the guy wasn’t entirely lacking guts……

Well, he made it through somehow. Even if it only led to him being a flop idol.

Let’s just approach this lightly, like reminiscing about old times.

The purpose of this segment was pretty clear.

It was to weed out the ‘unworthy’, those whose current selves had strayed too far from their original passion, and threw them to the wolves of public criticism.

As long as I tackled this with some vigor, I’d be halfway there.

―This morning, when I opened my eyes

And looked out the window to see

Golden leaves gently falling,

fluttering to the ground below

A plain, unembellished, and soft voice filled the studio.

―Memories of you

were painting my room’s floor

No matter how much I swept them away,

They kept falling

And so,

I let myself be consumed by the flood of memories

Though there weren’t any climactic high notes, the performance was filled with emotion and captivated enough to hold attention.

It was pretty amazing for a 17 year old to be able to sing like this.

The way Ahn Yuyoung sang, with his eyes slightly lowered, hitting each beat with care, showed his great sincerity.

Ahn Yuyoung wavered slightly on the pitch during the second verse, but managed to finish the song without issue.

At the very last verse of the song I could hear his voice quivering slightly as if the tension of being 17 and incredibly nervous was conveyed directly to me.

It was a vivid and raw audition clip in many ways.

―Alright, thank you. You may go now.

―Thank you.

“Yuyoung-nim, is it coming back to you now?”

“Yes. I remember.”

Though, to be honest, it was more like I ‘created’ that memory just now.

“Even at such a young age, there’s a lot of emotional depth in your voice. Really impressive. Well then, please begin.”

Lee Kyubin stepped back.

The lights shifted to dim stage lighting.

The item I had used earlier didn’t require me to fully recall everything the way the choreography item did.

I didn’t need to panic if I couldn’t actually recall everything.

I raised the mic to my lips, waiting for the MR to play.

“……Hello.I’m Ahn Yuyoung from Incheon.”

“Pardon?”

“……?”

‘Huh?’

It happened in an instant.

Without even realizing it, that line suddenly came out of my mouth.

Didn’t that sound somewhat familiar?

“Erm…… Yes, so you’re auditioning as a vocalist, correct?”

“Yes.”

This time, Lee Kyubin asked something to which I answered.

“Let’s see, the song is……”

Lee Kyubin muttered as he glanced toward the PD below the stage.

That was when it hit me.

I wasn’t just……

remembering the ‘song’.

“……”

I was replaying the whole situation word for word.

That was what this item did.

Even if I tried to say something else, my lips wouldn’t move. I couldn’t even say something as simple as ‘wait a sec’.

At this moment, I was nothing but a cassette tape playing back the past.

If it didn’t exist in the original memory, it wouldn’t come out of my mouth now.

“……Kim Jiwoo’s <Old Memories> is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

But at that moment, I realized something equally strange.

Lee Kyubin had been fully playing along.

What the hell was that guy doing?

I looked at him, unable to hide my bafflement, but Lee Kyubin simply gazed back at me with a  calm and steady demeanor.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of mischief in his expression, which made it feel even weirder.

“It’s a pretty old song. How do you even know this one?”

Lee Kyubin was mirroring the audition judge’s exact words, without a single mistake.

And the next line was……

“Yes, I like listening to old songs. My mother used to play it often when I was little. It’s the first song I ever heard in my life.”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Even the awkward tension of that moment was perfectly recreated.

At this point, I gave up trying to control the situation and just let the lines spill out of my mouth as if I was on autoplay.

Lee Kyubin responded with the same dry tone as the original judge, before signaling again to the PD.

Then, the MR track began to play.

As absurd as this was, I felt a bit relieved. WIth this level of accuracy, I didn’t even have to focus since my voice would just follow the original audition effortlessly.

After all, even back then, Ahn Yuyoung’s vocals had been pretty good. As long as I didn’t try to go above and beyond, I didn’t have to worry about malicious comments.

The song began to flow out of me, completely independent of my own will.

Alright, I just had to stay calm and finish this.

―Golden leaves gently falling,

It was when I was finishing the second verse that something odd began to happen.

I felt my vocal cords opening up, air rushing into my lungs.

At the same time, an unfamiliar scene began to form in my mind.

A wide space with dust billowing.

Faint white lines drawn across the floor here and there.

In the distance, a short school building made of neatly stacked brown bricks came into view.

I was standing on a sports field.

My senses told me that right in front of me were the studio, Lee Kyubin, the staff, and the set for recording.

But in my mind, a schoolyard was clearly stretched out before me.

And in this imaginary place, I was really walking on fallen leaves.

This was even more disorienting than blurting out, ‘Hello, I’m Ahn Yuyoung from Incheon.’

However, that disorienting feeling passed in a split second. My mouth kept singing the lyrics, my eyes kept seeing the sports field, and my ears kept hearing the faint rustling of fallen leaves.

The most baffling thing was that despite my mind being in complete chaos, my mouth continued singing as if on autopilot.

It was like being awake during sleep paralysis.

A paralysis I couldn’t even feel.

The sports field was completely covered in yellow leaves. A display of Fall’s full glory.

I realized I was holding someone’s hand tightly.

I turned around to look.

I could only see someone's waist.

I lifted my head a bit higher, wanting to see the person’s face.

But then, sunlight poured down from above.

It was too dazzling, so I couldn’t make out their features.

Suddenly, a rush of heat surged up my nose, making it sting.

It felt strange.

My heart was throbbing with unbearable sadness.

What was this? I hadn’t seen or remembered anything specific, so why was I like this?

―If you became the winter rain

Soaking into my heart

What should I do?

I have nowhere to escape you~……

Lost in this storm of emotions rising from some unknown source, a sudden realization hit me.

It was silent.

The song had ended.

‘……The song already ended?’

I didn’t even remember focusing on singing, let alone finishing the song though?

After the first verse, I couldn’t recall anything, not the lyrics nor the melody.

The vivid, distant seeming vision of the leaf-covered sports field had vanished completely.

In its place, my senses finally anchored back into reality.

I felt dazed.

It felt as though the memory of singing had been completely stolen away, but judging by the atmosphere around me, I had apparently performed the entire song.

However, something about Lee Kyubin’s expression was off.

Not long after, he approached me.

I barely had time to react before he was right in front of me.

Now that I looked at him, his expression looked even more serious.

What was going on?

“……Yuyoung-nim, are you alright?”

“……Pardon?”

“Should I get you something to wipe your face with?”

It was only then that I realized.

After finishing the song, I had been crying uncontrollably.

_________________________________________________________________________

Join our Discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/wetried